First time on HAL - some dining questions

[knippsel]

Very excited that we'll finally get to try HAL - Zaandam in Alaska on May 17 - after a number of cruises on Princess recently.

We're trying to get up to speed on the differences so we have only happy surprises.

A few questions:

1. On port days, does the Lido have longer lunchtime hours? Are there options for lunch after 2PM (say, after a morning tour)?

2. Does HAL offer any kind of "Coffee Card" for lattes, expressos, etc.?Can you have a latte in the Lido at breakfast?

 

3. Any tips for us, who usually like to eat late (after 8PM), anytime dining at a table for 2 in the MDR? Or in the Buffet at 8:45PM or so - I guess that's not gonna happen.

 

4. Doing a land tour afterwards, and DH really insists on travelling light. So no tux/suit/dress shoes for him (rain gear instead). We don't wish to be disrespectful of others, but in the MDR will a casual jacket and tie for him and a sparkly sweater for me be allowed in on formal night?

 

We had a little 1-day tour of the Amsterdam last year and loved the decor and nautical ambiance. Really looking forward to this cruise.

[sppunk]

1) HAL dining times are about the worst of any line. After 2 p.m. your choicees are the sandwich area, Dive In and room service.

 

2) There is a beverage card, many posts if you do a search.

 

3) For dinner the Lido closes at 8, but really at 7:30 p.m. they start shutting the curtains. Open dining last seating however is until 9 p.m.

 

4) Your clothing for formal night is perfectly acceptable and well within the HAL dress code.

Edited March 21, 2015 by sppunk

[RMLincoln]

Afternoon lunch on Lido deck will also offer the taco bar with shredded beef and chicken, lots of trimmings, chips, veggies, rice etc; and pizza. The sandwich bar will have salads too. All afternoon there are desserts out, ice cream and cookies. It's hard to go hungry.

 

Last time we were traveling light with cold weather and rain jackets instead of a suit. DH had black hiking/walking shoes (Merrills), basic black pants, buttoned collared (dress?)shirt with tie and a black button-front cardigan (good for layering in the cold!). Nobody stopped us going into the MDR on formal nights. There were a few gents with no jacket and a few with no tie but by far most men met the recommendations. I wore a skirt, sleeveless shell and a light burnout overshirt or flatwrap around my shoulders, gold sandals.

 

Have a great time in Alaska! So beautiful... but you'll be glad for the rain gear for their "liquid sunshine" m--

[RuthC]

The Lido full service line is open longer hours on embarkation day. It generally shuts down about 15-30 minutes before muster drill. When sailing was at 5:00, and muster at 4:15, the Lido line would close at 4:00.

Otherwise, the full service line closes at 2:00 (or sometimes a little later if many tours are all returning then). The sandwich line, as well as soups & salads remain open.

 

You can purchase beverage cards in amounts starting at $50. Those can be used for coffee, or any other drinks.

 

You should have no trouble getting a table for two in open seating if you arrive at 8:45. Very few people are arriving then.

[Krazy Kruizers]

No you can not get a Latte in the Lido at breakfast. But you can buy one at the Explorations Café and take it to the Lido to have with your breakfast.

There is no savings when you buy the Beverage Cards. Just the convenience of not having a lot of receipts to keep track of.

[DaveOKC]

On our last cruise we had lunch by the main pool and used the Dive In dining. We would place our order, go to the nearby Taco bar for Nachos while we waited for our orders to come up. Great Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, plus fantastic cheese fries.

[serendipity1499]

On our last cruise we had lunch by the main pool and used the Dive In dining. We would place our order, go to the nearby Taco bar for Nachos while we waited for our orders to come up. Great Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, plus fantastic cheese fries.

Dave, At the Dive-In do they still insist on making Burgers "Well done" instead of "Med. Rare" ? I

 

When we were on Oceania, I was able to get a "med rare" Burger years ago, but not on HAL..

 

Can't stand to eat Beef well done & don't order a Burger on HAL.:eek:

Edited March 21, 2015 by serendipity1499

[DaveOKC]

Dave, At the Dive-In do they still insist on making Burgers "Well done" instead of "Med. Rare" ? I

 

When we were on Oceania, I was able to get a "med rare" Burger years ago, but not on HAL..

 

Can't stand to eat Beef well done & don't order a Burger on HAL.:eek:

 

I ordered mine Medium and did not have an issue.

[serendipity1499]

I ordered mine Medium and did not have an issue.

 

Thanks Dave.. Assume that a medium burger does not have any pink showing when cut into it..:( I'm able to enjoy it if there is pink in the middle..

 

If I'm incorrect in my assumption, please let me know.. SIZE]

Edited March 21, 2015 by serendipity1499

[POA1]

Thanks Dave.. Assume that a medium burger does not have any pink showing when cut into it..:( I'm able to enjoy it if there is pink in the middle..

 

If I'm incorrect in my assumption, please let me know.. SIZE]

Because the burger continues to cook once it's off the grill, you may get better results by asking for a pink center.

[DaveOKC]

Thanks Dave.. Assume that a medium burger does not have any pink showing when cut into it..:( I'm able to enjoy it if there is pink in the middle..

 

If I'm incorrect in my assumption, please let me know.. SIZE]

 

I do not recall any pink in the Medium burgers. It was quite good IMO.

Edited March 21, 2015 by DaveOKC

[Debz62]

We're first timers on HAL. Westerdam to Alaska in May. We're booked for early seating dinner at a table for 6. If we're out enjoying the scenery and miss our early seating dinner will they allow us to eat later in the MDR or are the only options room service or the buffet? I'm beginning to think we should have booked something that allowed us to eat at any time, but I really enjoy meeting people and having the same waiters.

[Crew News]

We're first timers on HAL. Westerdam to Alaska in May. We're booked for early seating dinner at a table for 6. If we're out enjoying the scenery and miss our early seating dinner will they allow us to eat later in the MDR or are the only options room service or the buffet? I'm beginning to think we should have booked something that allowed us to eat at any time, but I really enjoy meeting people and having the same waiters.

 

There is a 15-minute window for your table before they open it up to others. You should be able to eat in the MDR with the "Anytime Diners" even if you are late but it might be at a different table.

 

If the ship is in port (Juneau or Victoria), it is certain that you will not be the only ones arriving back late to the ship. There is always the Late Snack in the Lido Restaurant if you get back after the MDR closes.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Crew News

[RuthC]

There is a 15-minute window for your table before they open it up to others. You should be able to eat in the MDR even if you are late but it might be at a different table.

In fixed seating? :confused: In early fixed seating? :confused:

[serendipity1499]

Because the burger continues to cook once it's off the grill, you may get better results by asking for a pink center.

 

Thanks, I just might try that...

 

I do not recall any pink in the Medium burgers. It was quite good IMO.

 

Thank you Dave.. I'll try one next time..

[donaldsc]

Dave, At the Dive-In do they still insist on making Burgers "Well done" instead of "Med. Rare" ? I

 

When we were on Oceania, I was able to get a "med rare" Burger years ago, but not on HAL..

 

Can't stand to eat Beef well done & don't order a Burger on HAL.:eek:

 

I remember on one line (can't remember which one) where when I asked for a burger rare, they made me sign a book that said that I would not sue them if I got sick from the rare burger.

 

DON

[kazu]

We're first timers on HAL. Westerdam to Alaska in May. We're booked for early seating dinner at a table for 6. If we're out enjoying the scenery and miss our early seating dinner will they allow us to eat later in the MDR or are the only options room service or the buffet? I'm beginning to think we should have booked something that allowed us to eat at any time, but I really enjoy meeting people and having the same waiters.

 

Fixed dining is just that. Your time is fixed so if you miss your dining time then to the best of my knowledge the only other options are the Lido, room service or specialty dining.

 

While there is normally a 15 minute window to allow for some tardy people, you are at a table for 6 so it's good to keep in mind that you would be keeping the others waiting (assuming they are on time).

 

If you decide you would rather do "anytime dining", then you can switch to that by talking to the Dining Room Manager or assistant. Just remember you can only switch your dining once. hope this helps:D

[regnig]

I remember on one line (can't remember which one) where when I asked for a burger rare, they made me sign a book that said that I would not sue them if I got sick from the rare burger.

DON

 

Princess used to do that but on the HAL ships we've been on they do not. On the Noordam they even had a sign that read along the lines of "all burgers are cooked well done unless ordered otherwise". We have had no problem with ordering Medium Rare.

 

The Pizza/Pasta station in the Lido should be open until at least 11pm - or at least it was on the Noordam. The Late Night "snack" usually reopens around 1030p. While we've never been the posted menu seems pretty extensive.

[RuthC]

Fixed dining is just that. Your time is fixed so if you miss your dining time then to the best of my knowledge the only other options are the Lido, room service or specialty dining.

Kazu, thanks for giving a much more complete answer than I was able to muster late last night.

It's especially important that misinformation be corrected so newcomers to the line understand the procedures.

[cruz chic]

We're first timers on HAL. Westerdam to Alaska in May. We're booked for early seating dinner at a table for 6. If we're out enjoying the scenery and miss our early seating dinner will they allow us to eat later in the MDR or are the only options room service or the buffet? I'm beginning to think we should have booked something that allowed us to eat at any time, but I really enjoy meeting people and having the same waiters.

 

Please don't do that. As a person that chooses open dining it just adds to the line for no good reason. Many times you can ask to be in the same section in the open dining so it could work similar to fixed.

[campisfortis]

Don't forget 24-hour room service, and during dinner hours you can order items on the MDR menu. So if you have early fixed dinning and miss your time, you can enjoy the same meal a bit later in your cabin.

[Debz62]

Don't forget 24-hour room service, and during dinner hours you can order items on the MDR menu. So if you have early fixed dinning and miss your time, you can enjoy the same meal a bit later in your cabin.

 

Ordering room service from the MDR menu would work out nicely. Thanks for the information.

[donswife]

Don't forget 24-hour room service, and during dinner hours you can order items on the MDR menu. So if you have early fixed dinning and miss your time, you can enjoy the same meal a bit later in your cabin.

 

HAL has a very nice room service menu, and the cabins are actually spacious enough to enjoy a meal in them. If you have a balcony, all the better!

[Crew News]

We're first timers on HAL. Westerdam to Alaska in May. We're booked for early seating dinner at a table for 6. If we're out enjoying the scenery and miss our early seating dinner will they allow us to eat later in the MDR or are the only options room service or the buffet?

 

Fixed dining is just that. Your time is fixed so if you miss your dining time then to the best of my knowledge the only other options are the Lido, room service or specialty dining.

 

Since "It's especially important that misinformation be corrected so newcomers to the line understand the procedures," I have contacted HAL Ships Services to verify that my response to the OP was correct. I received the following emailed response,

 

"I have verified they will be happy to accommodate your dining needs on open dining for the night you are delayed in returning back to the ship. This late arrival back to the ship will not affect your ability to dine at your set dining times for all other evenings of your cruise. Please let us know if there is anything more we can do to assist you."

 

Shane Macomber

Ship Services

 

Debz62, as indicated above, feel free to dine in the MDR if you return late from an excursion.

[cruz chic]

Since "It's especially important that misinformation be corrected so newcomers to the line understand the procedures," I have contacted HAL Ships Services to verify that my response to the OP was correct. I received the following emailed response,

 

"I have verified they will be happy to accommodate your dining needs on open dining for the night you are delayed in returning back to the ship. This late arrival back to the ship will not affect your ability to dine at your set dining times for all other evenings of your cruise. Please let us know if there is anything more we can do to assist you."

 

Shane Macomber

Ship Services

 

Debz62, as indicated above, feel free to dine in the MDR if you return late from an excursion.

Yes, and we know the information received by seattle is always correct.:rolleyes:. As a person that does open I would not be happy if hal does this as a matter of course. When I did traditional if I was late I would eat elsewhere. I find it selfish to go to both traditional and open. Would the poster like it if they went to their traditional spot and be told "sorry but these folks are taking your spot for tonight'".